常耀信英国文学简史Chapters-17-18

KeyPointsinChapter17ArthurHughCloughGerardManleyHopkinsEdwardFitzgeraldTheAestheticMovementArthurHughClough(1819-1861)IntroductionTheshepherdpoetinMathewArnold’selegy,Thyrsis,CloughwasoneofArnold’sclosestfriendsintemperamentandsensitivity.HewrotethebestkindofhexametersinEnglishpoetry.Allhislifehewastornbetweenfaithanddoubt.Thepeoplearehopelessandbelief-less.Thereisnoheavenorhell.So“Eat,drink,anddie.”Majorworks:Dipsychus,“SayNotStruggleNoughtAvaileth”GerardManleyHopkins(1844-1889)IntroductionIHeprovedhimselftobeoneofthefinestVictorianpoetsbothinvirtuosityandinnovativeenthusiasm.Todayinterestinhispoetryandthoughtisvisiblyontheincrease.Hopkinswasoddandobscure.Hisepic-lengthTheWreckoftheDeutschlandisdifficultbutranksalongwithIdyllsoftheKingandTheRingandtheBook.Hewroteinhiskindofrhythmwhichhecalledthe“sprungrhythm.”GerardManleyHopkins(1844-1889)IntroductionIIHopkinsfoundthisrhythmfascinatingbecausethepoetdoesnothavetowriteinfeetbutratheremphasizesthenumberofaccents(stresses)inaline.Heisalmostpreoccupiedwithtechnicaldevicessuchasthemanipulationofsounds,internalrime,alliteration,andassonance.Majorshortpoems:“TheWindhover,”“PiedBeauty,”“God’sGrandeur.”and“ThouArtIndeedJust,Lord,IfIContend.”TheAestheticMovementIntroductionIInthelatterpartoftheVictorianperiodBritainenjoyedanunprecedentedmaterialexpansion.Thenationbecameincreasinglymoreaffluent.Gettingandspendingbecamethepredominantpre-occupationofpeople’sendeavors,andinsatiableacquisitionthedrivingforceoftheirlives.Nationalidealsdimmed,themiddleclassgrew,andalongwithittheinfluenceofitsvalues,itsstandardsofmaterialismandculturalphilistinism.Victorianismprovedinadequatetoinspirethelifeofthemind.TheAestheticMovementIntroductionIIThemoralaestheticoftheperiodbecamewithtimetoodemandingforthoseintellectuallysensitivepeople.TheAestheticMovementwastheexactoppositeinnaturetotheheavilydidactictendencyoftheearlyandHighVictorianperiod.ThemovementrepresentstheperplexedreactiononthepartofthethinkingmindstothehumdrumanddishonestcivilizationoftheVictorianperiodandanattempttoescapefromit.JohnRuskinwasamongthefirsttospeakoutagainsttheprevailingtrend.TheAestheticMovementIntroductionIIIAgroupofyoungpeoplewithpoet-painterDanteGabrielRossettiasitschiefformedthemselvesin1848whattheycalledthePre-RaphaeliteBrotherhoodandjoinedthefightforbeauty.Thesocalled“Pre-Raphaelite”means“theperiodbeforetheRenaissance”orthemedievalperiodwhenpureartwasnotonlytoleratedbutprized.Allthroughthe1870sthecultofbeautybecameafactoflife.Thetheoryofartforart’ssakeappeared.TheAestheticMovementIntroductionIVThenOscarWilde,aneccentricyoungmanappearedonthesceneandpushedtheaestheticmovementinadifferentdirectionwhichledtoitsphaseofdecadenceandeventualdoom.Forhimartwasindependentandsuperior.Hewroteinkeepingwithhisliterarytheorythatartwasallaboutself-expressionandself-indulgenceinaestheticappetiteandhadnothingtodowithmorality.However,hiswasamorbidkindofbeauty.Decadencewashishallmark.TheAestheticMovementIntroductionVThemovementhasleftapermanentimprintuponEnglishlifeandartisticcreation.Theideaofbeautyhasbeennotonlytoleratedbutwellprizedeversince.Artistshavebecomeaspecialcategoryofpeopleandartandformhaveceasedtobealwayssecondtomorality.KeyPointsinChapter18VictorianDramaGeorgeBernardShawIntroductionMrs.Warren’sProfessionManandSuperman:AComedyandaPhilosophyVictorianDramaIntroductionForthefirsthalfofthe19thcenturythestagesawnoremarkableperformancewiththeoneexceptionofShelley’sTheCenci(钦契一家).Englishdramadidnotshowsignsofimprovementuntilafterthe1860swhensomecommendablethoughmodesteffortsbegantoappear.ButBritishdramadidnotquiteregainitsvalueuntilGeorgeBernardShawcameonthescene.GeorgeBernardShaw(1856-1950)IntroductionIHewontheNobelPrizein1925.HetookanimmenseinterestintheexplorationofmaninrelationtohiseconomicstatusinKarlMarx’sCapital,whichofferedhimaguidelineforunderstandingandanalyzingreality,andfromwhichhederive3dhislifelongbeliefthattheeconomicstatusofapersonisadeterminingfactorofhislife.ShawwasalsoundertheinfluenceofLesterWard,theAmericansociologistandhisnotionoftheLifeForce,andofSchopenhauerandNietzsche,thepessimisticGermanphilosophers,andhewasasincerefollowerofHenrickIbsenwhoseplaysdealtwithsocialproblems.GeorgeBernardShawIntroductionIIInhisopinionagoodplayisgoodnotsomuchbecauseitsplotpiquestherestlesscuriosityofitsaudienceasbecauseoftheconflictofideasthatitpresentstoprovokethinking.Tohim,noplaycanbeseriouswithoutseriousdiscussionsofgraveproblemsoflife.InmorethanonewayShawisasocialiconoclast.GeorgeBernardShawMrs.Warren’sProfessionThedramaisthemostremarkableandpopularofShaw’searlyworks.Publishedin1893,itdidnotmaketothestageuntil1902.censorshipprohibiteditspublicperformanceongroundsofimmorality.Theplay,thefirstofitskindtopresentaprostituteasitsmajorcharacter.Outlineofthestory:Mrs.KittyWarrenisanagingbutwell-offmadamwhorunsaringofbrothels—primlycalled“private”hotels—inEurope.HerdaughterVivie,educatedatCambridge,looksforwardtoasuccessfulcareerinactuarialaccounting.Whenshelearnedabouthe